Improvement in blotting-pads



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMEs M. KEEP, 0E NEW YoEK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BLOTTING-PADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 10l,627, dated April 5, 1870.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMEs M. KEEP, of New York, in the county of New York, and in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blotter-Pads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, ret'- erence being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a side elevation of my improved device as ready for use, and Fig. 2 is a like view of the same with the sheets ot' blottingpaper removed. o

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

My invention has for its object the production of a convex blotter-pad frame, upon which a number of sheets of blotting-paper may be secured and successively removed after having becomed soiled; and it consists in the peculiar construction of said frame and in the means employed for securing the paper thereon, as is hereinafter set forth.

In the annexed drawings, A represents a plate of sheet metal having any desired size, the ends of which are curved downward and inward, so as to' form a semicircular socket, a, upon and extending across the lower side of each end, which sockets serve to receive and contain the ends of` a second metal plate, B, having a length somewhat greater than the distance between said sockets, so that when placed therein said plate will spring downward, as shown in the drawings. As thus constructed, if a number of sheets of blotting-paper, C, corresponding in breadth with and somewhat longer than the plate B, be placed upon its lower'side, with their ends turned over the ends of the plate, and the whole sprung into the sockets a, it will be found that the spring ot' said plate will be sufjcient to hold said sheets rmly within said sockets and render it impossible for them to become accidentally displaced therefrom. A knob, D, secured to or upon the upper plate, A, at its center, completes the device, the use of which is too well known to require description.

In order to insert or remove the lower plate and blotters, they are grasped with the first and second fingers upon the upper side and at the center of the plate and the thumb and third finger beneath and near the ends thereof, in which position the plate may be readily bent to the necessary curve to enable its ends to pass freely into and from the sockets. The action of the plate Bis similar to that of a wedge or brace, and it will be readily seen that many andvarious modifications of the same might be made without departure from the principle and spirit of my invention. For instance, a solid block having the form of the space E between the plates A and B might be substituted for the latter, and the upper plate corrugated transversely or made concave upon its upper side, so that when straightcned its length might be increased sufficiently to permit its ends to pass over the ends of the lower block and blotters.

It desired, the upper side of the plate A maybe covered and strengthened by means of a thin strip of wood, F, although the use of such strip is not deemed essential, as the downward pressure ofthe hand upon the center of the upper plate would cause the latter to spring but little, any change of its form being resisted by the downward spring of the lower plate.

The advantages possessed by this device over any in use intended for a like purpose are, first, the blotters are more easily and quickly secured in place and removed therefroni,a11d under no circumstances can they become accidentally detached from the frame while the latter remains unbroken; second, from the peculiar construction of the frame and the absence of screws or other equivalent devices for securing the blotters in place there is scarcely any limit to its durability; and, third, from the extreme simplicity ot' its parts it can be furnished at a comparatively small cost.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The means employed (or their equivalents) for securing sheets of blotting-paper to or upon the pad, consisting of the spring-plate B, f1tting into and held in position by the sockets c upon t-he plate A, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing'l have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of March, 1870.

, J. M. KEEP. Witnesses:

WM. GASCHE, y GEO. E. JEWETT. 

